Flue-cleaner.



"0.635301. Patented Oct. 24,1899.

LA FAYETTE BOLLINS.

FLUE CLEANER.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Z INVEINITW ATTORNEYS.

LA FAYETTE ROLI JINS, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

FLU E-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,701, dated October 24, 1899. Application filed January 23, 1899. gerial No. 703,111. (No model.)

To otZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAFAYETTE RoLLINs, of Montgomery, (Highland Park,) in the county of Montgomery andState ofAlabama, have invented a new and Improved Flue-Cleaner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices used for cleaning the fiues of boilers, and commonly called flue-cleaners.

My invention comprises the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my device. Fig. 2 is a cross-section upon the line 2 2 in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken upon the line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

A conical head A is formed as a casting having a central stem B and extensions thereof O and D, the latter preferably formed as a short section of a round wrought bar and preferably united in one piece, the casting being poured about said bar. The extensions 0 and D may, however, be formed in separate pieces, if desired, and cast in place. The extension 0 is threaded or otherwise con-. structed so that a handle may be readily secured thereto, and stem D is threaded and is provided with a nut d. The casting A is hollow, having its inner surfaces inclined or of conical shape, with the larger end outward.

Upon the extension D is placed aspreader F, which consists of a disk somewhat smaller than the diameter of the tube within which the cleaner is to be used. This spreader is mounted toslide freely upon the stem D and has a scraper plate or plates G secured to the outer face thereof by screws 9 and projecting slightly, so as to be very nearly or quite the diameter of the flue. A series of longitudinally-extending scraper-bars E is secured to the periphery of the spreader F, and the plates G are notched at H to receive the scraper-bars. The scraper-bars are secured to the spreader by means of screws or rivets e, the attachment being sufficiently loose, so that the bars may have a slight hinging action thereon. It is also preferred that the periphery of the spreader be made slightly rounding in crosssection, so that the hinging action of the scraper-bars may be facilitated. This, however, is not essential and maybe omitted when desired. The inner ends of the scraper-bars E enter the hollow end of the head A and engage the inclined inner surfaces thereof. These bars are held in proper position within the head by means of projections a, which closely engage the edges of the bars. The outer ends of the scraper-bars are expanded, forming heads E, which have their outer end edges sharpened, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. These heads form chisels which will engage the material deposited within the dues and cut it out.

In using my device the stem 0 is secured to a handle and the spreader F is moved to its outermost position, as shown in Fig. 1. In this position the outer ends of the scraperbars are contracted or lie nearest together, so that the device may be readily inserted within one end of the fine. As soon as the scraper-bars or the plate G engages any substance the bars will be forced backward, entering the inner ends of the bars farther within the hollow end of the head, thus spreading the outer ends of the scraper-bars until they scrape against the inner surface of the flue. The deposit upon the flue will thus be scraped off as the cleaner is inserted. As the spreader F and plate G are both made to substantially fill the circle, its prompt engagement with the pipe is assured and the loosened material will be carried ahead of the scraper until discharged at the opposite end of the tube. This also prevents the scale or soot getting within the cone A and preventing the proper action of the movable parts. When the scraper is pulled outward, the spreader will be detained, thus pulling the scraper-bars out of the head somewhat and sufficiently to reduce the spread of the outer ends of the scraper-bars, so that the device may be readily withdrawn. I

The use of the movable spreader, in connection with the inclined or cam surfaces acting upon the inner ends of the scraperbars, permits the automatic adjustment of the diameter or spread of the scraper-bars. The device is thus easily withdrawn from any flue and when forced into the flue will be automatically expanded to the full diameter of the flue. 'Every scraper-head is not supposed to be made to fit all sizes of fines. Each size should have a scraper made therefor. The chiseled ends of the scraper-bars may be made of hardened steel, so that they will Wear a long time. Moreover, the construction is such that these bars maybe kept in good condition for a long time, as they may be ground down at the ends, so as to keep the ends sharp.

This scraper, it Will be found, will out and remove any deposit which Will be made in a boiler-flue. It will also thoroughly clean the fines, leaving them bright and in good condition for transmitting heat.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A flue-cleaner, comprising a hollow conical head having a central stem projecting at each end, a spreader-disk mounted to slide upon the forward end of the stem, stops limiting its sliding, longitudinal scraper-bars centrally secured to the periphery of the spreader disk, the forward ends of the scraper-bars being shaped to conform to the interior of the pipe and their rear ends entering the conical head, said head having longitndinal ribs lying at each side of the scraperbars, and a plate secured to the forward side of the spreader-disk and projecting between the scraper-bars to fill out the circle of the flue, substantially as described.

2. A flue-cleaner, comprising a hollow head having a projecting central stem and inner inclined guide-surfaces, a spreader having a limited longitudinal movement on said stem, and longitudinally-extending scraper-bars carried by the spreader and having their inner ends engaging the inclined guide-surfaces Within the head, whereby the spread of their outer ends is varied by the longitudinal movement of the spreader, the head having inner projections engaging the sides of the scraperbars and being provided with means for securing a handle thereto, substantially as described.

LA FAYETTE ROLLINS.

\Vitnesses:

H. L. REYNOLDS, F. W. HANAFORD. 

